The Reluctant Journey Ch. 03

Malia had been wearing ugly grey jumpsuits since she was twelve-years-old. She didn't get to wear jeans and a sweatshirt on lazy weekends. She didn't get a cap and gown for graduation. She never got to wear a prom dress. She picked the dress up. The material flowed over her arm like an inky waterfall. It was simple in design, but it was the first real adult piece of clothing she would get to wear. Malia was elated and grinned widely.

"Miss, you don't want to get it dirty." Gwen spoke from behind Malia. She looked over to the pretty woman. Gwen was dressed in a clingy, long-sleeved, black shirt and black pants that clung to her flared hips and flowed down her long legs. All of the kitchen staff had been wearing similar uniforms. She wondered if Gwen had ever gotten to wear a pretty dress. Malia put the dress back and walked into the adjoining bathroom. Gwen walked to a control panel on the wall and pushed a series of buttons. Warm water started to fill the large tub in the room. The water seemed to be flowing in through the sides of the tub, as there was no faucet. It was filled quickly. Gwen looked at her like she was stupid.

"Um, are you going to get undressed?" She asked.

"Are you going to leave?" Malia asked snidely, irritated at the uncalled for attitude she was getting from Gwen.

Gwen looked less confident. "I have orders to stay with you, miss."

Malia glared. "Of course you do." Malia took off her ugly jumpsuit quickly; followed by her simple, dingy, white bra and panties. She could imagine the beautiful girl judging her. Malia was skinny, as was everyone in the unit. Her shoulders and hips were wide. Her breasts were just a little too large to be perky. She felt downright ugly next to the clothed knockout. However, she resisted the urge to cover herself and walked as gracefully as possible to the tub. She was not going to let the audience ruin this luxury for her.

Malia sunk into the deep tub and the water rose above her shoulders. She sighed in absolute relaxation. The hot water eased her aching muscles and she felt grime rinse off of her skin. She had unknowingly closed her eyes and opened them when she heard Gwen clear her throat.

She held out a washcloth and a bottle of expensive looking body wash. Malia took both and washed her skin everywhere, not even giving a second thought to Gwen's presence. She was too elated at the experience to be self-conscious. The soap smelled wonderful, like vanilla and cinnamon. She washed her hair and was given conditioner as well. Gwen gave her some sort of cream to rub over her legs, which dissolved the hair immediately. Gwen handed her a razor as well.

Malia looked at her questioningly.

"Um, for your, uh, bikini area." She said, looking slightly embarrassed.

Malia took the razor, some of her elation dying at having to perform the intimate act in front of Gwen. Luckily the woman seemed to understand and turned slightly around. Malia shaved most of her hair, leaving a small patch to avoid looking like the little girl the general called her. She felt her skin flush at the thought of the general seeing her naked. She shook her head to clear it of the unwanted image.

Malia got out of the tub and was given lotion to lather over every inch of her skin. Gwen handed her a black bra and panty set. They were silky and the bra had lace that overlaid the bottom half of the cup. She looked in the mirror and saw a woman. She actually looked kind of sexy. Gwen dried her hair so it laid in silky waves. Gwen plucked her eyebrows, waxed her lip, and applied makeup to her face as well. She helped her into the dress. It was a halter style dress and the hem came just above her knees. She looked amazing in it. Her smile seemed to even melt Gwen's icy barrier.

"You look much better." The compliment was genuine, if a bit unenthused.

"Thank you!" Malia didn't try to hide her thrill. She couldn't look away from the mirror. For one brief moment she forgot the horrible mess she was in, for a moment she was happy. She pictured Olivia next to her in a matching dress smiling as stupidly as Malia.

"My sister would love this." She said, the bittersweet thought diluting her smile slightly.

"You have a sister?" Gwen asked.

Malia nodded, she felt stupid. She needed to be more careful. "Her name is Malia." She said innocently enough. Malia's smile had completely dissipated. Gwen looked pitiful, which was more irritating that hostile at the moment.

"What time is dinner?" Malia asked.

"I will come to get you in an hour and a half. You can read until then, if you want." Gwen pointed to a bookshelf that hadn't been in the room that morning. She walked over to run her finger over the bindings. Tristan had done this.

"What is wrong with Tristan?" Malia asked Gwen without turning around. Gwen had been nearly at the door, but stopped and turned.

"Wrong?" She asked confused.

"I mean, why would he need his brother to find companionship for him? What happened to him?" She had so many questions running through her mind, it was hard to organize them.

"If Master Cain did not tell you, it is not my place to." She looked uncertain. "Besides, I'm not sure I even know, he is nothing but sweet to all of the staff. However, I have only been here for a year. I'm told he used to be different, more, uninhibited." She looked like she had been snapped out of a daze suddenly. "It really isn't my place to speak of such things." She looked worried.

Malia smiled. "Mum's the word."

Gwen nodded, though she didn't look like she trusted Malia.

"Don't mess up your hair and makeup." Gwen ordered before she left the room.

Malia nodded and smiled friendlily. Maybe Gwen wouldn't be as bad as Malia had initially expected.

She couldn't resist the bookshelf. There were many different genres. Most of the books, she had never heard of before. An hour and a half felt like mere minutes. Gwen returned looking exactly as she had when she left. Gwen escorted Malia to a large dining room. The large table looked near ridiculous with merely three places set. She was led to one of the empty settings and sat. Almost immediately the Malcolm brothers entered the dining room. They were laughing about something as they walked. She rose to greet the men. They were dressed in matching suits with black ties, making their similarities stand out. She focused on Tristan's gait as he walked nearer smiling; she couldn't find any abnormality.

"You look wonderful." Tristan complimented as he reached her. She smiled, remembering her reflection earlier that day. He reached for her hand and gently kissed it, which oddly enough didn't look as ridiculous as Malia thought it should. He smiled again and walked to the setting across the table from her. Cain sat at the head of the table, as could only be expected. She sat back down.

The first course was a creamy, hot soup. It was heavenly. Malia was so enthralled, she lost track of the mundane conversation between the brothers, until her sister's name was yelled at her. Cain looked disapproving and Tristan was grinning at her.

"What?" Malia asked confused.

"I asked if you liked the food?" Tristan smiled kindly at her.

"Twice." The general added, raising his brows at her.

She ignored the general and grinned back at Tristan across the table.

"It's wonderful. I've never had anything like it before."

Tristan's smile turned sad, though it couldn't bring down her mood. She continued to eat the soup.

"You were fed lunch, yes, Miss Yates?" the general asked, pointing out her less than ladylike manner of eating.

She was irritated by his attempt to ruin her delicious meal. "I'm sorry if my table manners are not up to par, General. I'm out of practice, as meals go a little differently where I come from." She snapped.

Tristan laughed as the general glared at her. "Please, excuse my brother, Olivia. I very much enjoy watching you eat. It is like watching someone eat for the very first time. It's somewhat bitter, but mostly sweet. Please, continue." Tristan smiled sweetly in her direction. She continued to eat, though without nearly as much enthusiasm before. These men she dined with were so interesting.

"And how are the Marshalls? I haven't seen any of them in years." Tristan asked Cain.

"As well as can be expected. They lost two sons. It shows." Cain shrugged. Tristan nodded solemnly.

"What happened?" Malia asked. Both brothers looked surprised at her sudden interest in the conversation. Apparently she had been stuffing her face more than she knew.

"The Marshall family lost their boys in the war." Tristan explained. "They have two younger daughters, though both are married and moved out. Cain checks up on them every couple of weeks."

The staff took the bowls and replaced them with plates covered with savory looking meat covered in dark gravy. She was once again incapacitated by the sensory overload. The brothers continued with their mundane conversation.

"Milly stopped by today." Tristan suddenly said. The general stopped mid-bite and looked at his brother. Malia's interest was piqued.

"What did you tell her?" the general asked, continuing with the bite he'd interrupted.

"I told her to wait in your bedchamber of course brother." Tristan laughed.

"That's not funny." Cain replied seriously, continuing to eat.

"Ah, but it is." Tristan argued.

"Who is Milly?" Malia asked.

"None of your business." The general replied brashly. Tristan smiled reassuringly toward Malia, though he didn't dispute his brother. A bowl of mixed fruit was brought out to replace the main course.

"I'll pass on dessert tonight." The general stated, rising from his seat. "I'll see you later Tristan. Until tomorrow Miss Yates." Cain politely left the room.

Somehow she suddenly felt less comfortable, as if the general had been a barrier. Tristan smiled reassuringly at Malia and began to eat slowly. She did the same, the food relaxing her once again.

"What do you eat in the units?" Tristan asked, watching her eat a piece of purple melon-like fruit she had never seen before. She chewed as he looked into her eyes.

"Nothing like this." She couldn't help the smile. "We eat whatever the unit prepares. Simple sandwiches, oatmeal, sometimes fruit and vegetables if we can." He nodded understandingly, listening completely.

"I'm sorry about my rash reaction earlier today. I don't agree with Cain's tactics. If you are happier here, I am happy for you, though I believe it should have been your choice. However, what is done is done. I will try and help you get the most out of this situation." He looked full of pity.

"I only want my family. I know he can bring me back to them." She saw his eyes turn sad.

"My brother has many powers, but I don't know if they extend quite that far. Besides he has no incentive." Tristan said.

"So I'm to live here as your slave?" She asked, irritated.

"No. It is not my wish. I didn't choose this for you." He said softly. "But I will not loose my brother. He is all I have left."

She didn't know what to say. He gave her a small smile of complete understanding. She would get to her family again, but this avenue of hurting Tristan would lead nowhere. She needed to bide her time. There was no going forward without more knowledge. Tomorrow she would begin to learn, begin her path of escape.

She smiled softly at Tristan before she left for her bedroom.